Supporting Your Ideas
Chapter 7
Introduction

Good Speeches are not composed of
hot air and generalizations

Generalizations can’t answer the three
main questions asked by listeners:
– What do you mean?
– Why should I believe you?
– So What?

Book Example (p 174)
Supporting Materials and
Critical Thinking
Supporting materials = materials used
to support a speaker’s ideas
 There are three types of supporting
materials:

– Examples
– Statistics
– Testimony
Examples

A specific case used to illustrate or to
represent a group of people, ideas,
conditions, experiences, or the like

Three kinds of examples:
– Brief
– Extended
– Hypothetical
Brief Examples
A specific case referred to in passing to
illustrate a point
 May be used to introduce a topic
 May be used in succession to impact
the tone of the speech, or to “drive
home” a point
 Example? p. 176-7

Extended Examples

A story, narrative, or anecdote developed at
some length to illustrate a point

By telling a story vividly and dramatically, they
pull listeners into the speech

Example: p. 177
Hypothetical Examples

An example that describes an imaginary
or fictitious situation

These tend to be brief stories that relate
to a general principle

Example: p. 177
5 Tips for Using Examples:

Use examples to clarify your ideas
– Does everyone know what a suspension bridge
is?
– Technical specs: “The suspension bridge has a
roadway suspended by vertical cables attached to
two or more main cables. The main cables are
hung on two towers and have their ends anchored
in concrete or bedrock” (p. 178)
– Or use examples that everyone can relate to:
Golden Gate and the Brooklyn Bridge; for a quick
and effective clarification
5 Tips for Using Examples
(cont’d):

Use examples to Reinforce your ideas
– Boxing and 1000 lb punch – neurologist
and Ali
– Make sure example is representative of
typical occurrence
5 Tips for Using Examples
(cont’d):

Use examples to personalize your ideas
– People are interested in people
– Social psychologist says: “Most people are
more deeply influenced by one clear, vivid,
personal example than by an abundance of
statistical data” (p. 179)
– These examples add human interest
5 Tips for Using Examples
(cont’d):

Make your examples vivid and richly
textured
– Supply everyday details that bring the
example to life
– The more vivid your example is, the more
impact they are likely to have on your
audience
5 Tips for Using Examples
(cont’d):

Practice delivery to enhance your extended
examples
– Think of yourself as a storyteller
– Use Vocal variety to enhance certain aspects
– Maintain eye contact
• THE EASIEST WAY TO RUIN A FINE EXAMPLE IS TO
READ IT DULLY FROM YOUR NOTES
Statistics (numerical data)

We live in a world of statistics
– Americans consume more than 700 million
pounds of peanut butter annually
– The literacy rate of Iraq is 71 percent
– Others?

Can be used to clarify or strengthen a point
 Can be “Stacked up” to demonstrate the
magnitude or importance of an issue
 The goal is to create an overall impact on
listeners
– They may not remember specific statistics
– They will remember that you had convincing
statistics to back up your claims
Understanding Statistics

Darrell Huff – “How to lie with statistics”
– In 1947 President Harry Truman earned a
salary of $75,000
– In 1967 President Lyndon B. Johnson
earned a salary of $100,000
– In 1997 President Bill Clinton earned a
salary of $200,000
– Who made the most?
•Using Consumer Price Index: Truman ($104,000),
Johnson ($100,000), Clinton ($59,000)
Three questions to ask
about your stats:

Are the Statistics representative of the
populations they describe?
 Are Statistical Measures used correctly?
(183)
– Mean – The average value of a group of numbers
– Median – The middle number in a group of
numbers, arranged from highest to lowest
– Mode – the number that occurs most frequently in
a group of numbers

Are the Statistics from a Reliable source?
– Consider Bias
– Consider Ulterior Motivations (sponsorship)
6 Tips for Using Statistics:

Use statistics to quantify your ideas
– give your ideas numerical precision
– Research has shown that the impact of examples
is greatly enhanced when they are followed by
statistics that show the examples to be typical
(185)

Use Statistics sparingly
– Insert stats only when they are needed OR risk
boredom
– Use only the most important statistics from your
research

Identify the sources of your statistics
– You will not be convincingly credible if you assert
certain percentages/stats
– Citing the source will greatly influence the
persuasive nature of stats
6 Tips for Using Statistics
(cont’d):

Explain your statistics
– Especially if it is hard to visualize (large numbers)
• US debt – 4 trillion? If you had 1 trillion dollars, you
could spend 1000/day for just about 3 million years (186)
• Make them more meaningful to the audience
– Above example relates, because you can at least
imagine spending 1000 a day
– Be creative in thinking about ways to relate the
stats to the audience – it will pay off

Round off complicated statistics
– Mt. Kilimanjaro is 19,341 feet high… better to say
“over 19,300 feet high”
• Does anyone know why this still may be deceiving?
6 Tips for Using Statistics
(cont’d):

Use visual aids to clarify statistical trends
– Ross Perot? Chart-man.
-----------------------------------------------

Where to find Stats?
–
–
–
–
World Almanac
Statistical Abstract of US (Through our website)
Statistical Yearbook (UN sponsored)
Or other reputable sources on the internet
Testimony

Quotations or paraphrases used to support a
point
– Example of “which class should I take”
– Two types of Testimony
• Expert
– Testimony from people who are recognized experts in their
fields
– Most important when topic is controversial (hint: for your
persuasive speeches)
• Peer
– Testimony from ordinary people with firsthand experience
or insight on a topic
– It conveys the feelings, opinions and knowledge of regular
people
Quoting vs. Paraphrasing
Direct quotation – Testimony that is presented
word for word
 Paraphrase – to restate or summarize a source’s
ideas in one’s own words
 When are quotations preferable?

– When they are brief
– When they convey the meaning better than you can
– When they are particularly eloquent, witty, or
compelling

When is paraphrasing preferable?
– When the wording in quote is cumbersome or obscure
(gov’t docs)
– When quote is longer than two or three sentences (50
words)
Tips for using testimony

Quote or paraphrase Accurately
– Quoting out of context – Quoting a statement in
such a way as to distort its meaning by removing
the statement from the words and phrases
surrounding it
– “Blair says ‘Blood Price’”

Use testimony from Qualified sources
– Celebrities? Who would appear most credible in
politics?
• Tom Cruise
• Arnold Schwarzenegger
• Ozzy Osbourne
Tips for using testimony (cont’d)
Use testimony from unbiased sources
 Identify the people you quote or
paraphrase

– Name the person
– List their qualifications
– Then present testimony
Supporting materials review
Examples
 Statistics
 Testimony

Chapter 2 (41-46):
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Presenting another person’s language or ideas as
one’s own
 Comes from Latin plagiarius, word for kidnapper
 BETTER TO BE LATE THAN TO PLAGIARIZE
 Global Plagiarism

– Stealing a speech entirely from a single source and
passing it off as one’s own
– Most blatant and inexcusable form
– Sometimes the result of deliberate dishonesty, more
often due to last minute preparation – so start early!
Plagiarism (cont’d)

Patchwork Plagiarism
– Stealing ideas or language from two or three
sources and passing them off as one’s own
– Your name on the speech means: You declare that
the speech is your work—your thinking, your
beliefs, and your language
– You don’t have to be an expert, simply find your
own slant on an issue (think about it for a while) –
so start early!
Plagiarism (cont’d)

Incremental Plagiarism
– Failing to give credit for particular parts of a
speech that are borrowed from other people
– Quotations must be directly attributed to the
person
– If, through paraphrasing, you still appropriate
ideas and/or structure from another person, you
must give them credit
• However, if the other person was simply stating a fact,
known to everyone, then you do not

Keep in mind… Questions of Plagiarism boil
down to questions about ethics.